BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards along with Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Sec. Joey Strickland, COL (USA Retired) and Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome will hold a lighting ceremony for the U.S. Armed Forces Memorial Grove of Lights honoring Louisiana’s veterans and fallen soldiers. The ceremony also coincides with the 81st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The display will be available to visitors now through the New Year and is located in at 599 State Capitol Drive in Baton Rouge on the side of the Louisiana Veterans Memorial Park facing the Governor’s Mansion. This is the second year the display has been available to the public during the holiday season.

“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the brave men and women both past and present who answered the call to serve our country across all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, especially those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom,” said Gov. Edwards. “The holidays can be especially hard for families who have lost loved ones in service to our country or are waiting for them to return from a tour of duty. We hope that this display will serve as a reminder of the great sacrifices made by veterans and their families.”

“At the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, our mission is to serve those who served,” said Secretary Strickland. “It is our duty to honor and remember our nation’s brave men and women who served our country with courage and valor. We must also honor the families of our veterans, and the fallen, especially during this holiday season.”

The Governor and Sec. Strickland also encourage people to donate to Wreaths Across America, a program that places holiday wreaths in veteran’s cemeteries and parks throughout the country. The wreaths will be placed by volunteers on National Wreaths Across America Day held December 17, 2022.

The U.S. Armed Forces Memorial Grove of Lights features approximately 50 trees wrapped with 125,000 lights, which were provided by Pennington Lawn & Landscape. Sponsors and contributors to the display include: Election Systems & Software, Motorola, Chiropractic Association of Louisiana, Baton Rouge General, Drax, Sempra Infrastructure, Conduent, and Baton Rouge Area Foundation.